Emily Tatum Roth

Yesteryear Wednesday

I take comfort in knowing that Jonah got to meet Mishi.  These pics were taken when we were in Virginia for Jonah's first birthday.

*Gotcha!*

 

*You can see Mishi trying to escape in this one.*

Mishi

Our beloved family cat, Mishi, died this past Thursday, February 26th.  He was 18.5 years old.  My mom found him and had the courage to pick him up, put him in his cat bed and carry the bed outside to the porch so that he could enjoy the fresh air one last time. 

I never quite understood the whole grieving over pets thing.  Until now.  He went through life right along with us--two moves, a divorce, Lily's adoption (the cat my sister brought back from Israel and eventually gave to my mom) and much, much more.  I miss him.  We all do.

The following three pictures were taken many years ago on the back porch of our Glyndon Street house.

 

 

       

The Pruning

I am back.  I took a short blog holiday; okay, really I forgot to put the memory card back in the camera, so I couldn't download any pics to the computer.  I suppose I could post without pictures, but let's face it:  I'm no Adriana.     *grin*     I can't afford to lose any daily readers; this blog needs pictures!  And some oomph to it, but TypePad doesn't make it easy to download fonts to change the title and header.  It's a work in progress...

Jonah behaved exceptionally well during his haircut with Daniela, my (and now his) German hairdresser.  Here is the play-by-play:

The first pic shows the shag in all its glory.  Okay, maybe it was starting to look a little unkempt...Jonah looked like such a little peanut in that salon chair and loved it when Daniela made it go up and down.  With some help from a box of raisins, he stayed pretty still and even relaxed a bit, as you can see in the fourth picture!

After Jonah's haircut, we headed to the mall for lunch.  He loves the fountains in the mall, and we always stop to make wishes until my coins are gone.  The last picture shows how mesmerized he is by the fountains, and how grown-up he looks sans curls.     *sniff*

 

Yesteryear Wednesday #6 and #7

Yes, I know I am quite behind on my Wednesday posts, but I don't always have time for all this blogety blog blog stuff!

FOUR people close to me are expecting babies this spring.  Two friends just gave birth to twins!  All this has me thinking about Jonah's birth (and having another baby--I know you were thinking that.  I admit it, I am a bit wistful.  Sensitive subject, okay?     *little smile*), so I thought I would post some pictures of his first few days of life.

 

 

First Video Clip--Jonah's Floor Exercise

Here is my first attempt at posting a video clip and editing HTML.  Patience, patience.

Jonah will dance to any beat, anywhere.  A gymnast's floor exercise music is no exception.

I think you have to double click on his image to start the clip; don't forget to raise the volume! 

Incognito

Jonah and I are working on his disguise:

What do you think of The Scoundrel?  Needs some adjustment?  No problem--see pic #2.

Bowing to external pressure, I have him scheduled for a haircut this Friday morning.     *gasp*

I'm taking him to my German hairdresser, so he'll have a chance to show off and count to twenty in German for her.  When he gets to twenty he says "zehn zehn," which translates to "ten ten," instead of "zwanzig" (twenty).  He does this on purpose because he knows it drives me crazy!  I always look at him and say, "Jonah, you know how to say twenty in German."  "ZEHN ZEHN!!!"  Clever little thing, he is.                              

Back to Friday's haircut.  Jonah really has no idea what is going on is happy with his disorderly locks (his hair is post-bath straight in these pictures) and agrees with me that the current shaggy do fits his personality.  He asked me to help him come up with a disguise so that Mommy he can avoid Friday's appointment.

We tried a few different 'staches.  Even Katie the Koala got into it! 

I loved hearing Jonah's peals of laughter as he looked at the digital images we took.  Speaking of which, I am going to try to figure out how to post video clips so readers can hear him and see him in action.  Maybe I'll work on that right now; it's only half past midnight.     *grin*

The Dark Night

I owe the blogosphere a Yesteryear Wednesday post, I know.  For now, a poem that I have been meaning to post for a long time.  Tonight just seemed right for it.

Philip Larkin -- This Be The Verse

*

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.

They may not mean to, but they do.

They fill you with the faults they had

And add some extra, just for you.

*

But they were fucked up in their turn

By fools in old-style hats and coats.

Who half the time were soppy-stern

And half at one another's throats.

*

Man hands on misery to man.

It deepens like a coastal shelf.

Get out as early as you can,

And don't have any kids yourself.

Yesteryear Wednesday #5

I'm tired and unmotivated.  This is going to be a quick one. 

The date is May 14, 2006; my first Mother's Day.  Jonah T. was posing like a champ:  the over the shoulder, pensive gaze; the classic JTR beam; the future president look; and then he fell forward right as the camera clicked.  Priceless and hilarious.     *smile* 

What A Hamm!

This morning, I decided I was going to post the following pictures of Jonah monkeying around.  Is it just a coincidence that gymnast Paul Hamm, America's reigning Olympic gold medalist, announced today that he is withdrawing from the Olympic team due to injuries?  I think Jonah would make a fine alternate!  Look for yourself:

After reading books, I hoist him into the crib and he exclaims, "TWICKS!!!"  What follows is about five minutes of continuous forward somersaults and, his newest "twick," head stands.  Apparently, I have underestimated what he learns in his twenty minute preschool PE class.  He tells me that "coach" taught him how to do these "twicks."  I am impressed.  I really thought he and the other toddlers just kicked balls around.

Unfortunately, Jonah's crib is taking a harsh beating during Trick Time.  Tonight I cringed as I watched the crib rails buckle with each miscalculated somersault...His Big Boy Bed is due to arrive in a month or so; let's hope the crib holds out that long!

And because I know some readers are thinking this (and I know which ones, too!), yes, that is his newly painted wall that he is putting his feet on.  Yes, Trick Time is not the most appropriate winding down activity.  Yes, I still follow gymnastics and am disappointed that Paul Hamm won't be defending his medal in Beijing.  And no, unfortunately, I don't think Bela Karolyi will emerge from retirement to coach my talented gymnast in the making. 

      

Yesteryear Wednesday #4 and Cyberguilt

I know, it has been a week since my last post.  The hits to this site are at an all-time low; only nine views yesterday.     *gasp*     Given the recent lack of comments, I have concluded that your silence, faithful blog reader, is your protest.

But Abuelita is here!

Frequent posting will resume after Sunday.  Promise.  In the meantime, I continue my Wednesday tradition of remembering yesteryear with some pics of 'the girls,' since Abuelita is visiting and Adriana is still abroad.  These pictures were taken six years ago at Abuelita's home in northern Virginia, on Christmas, I believe. 

I miss sweater weather...